Harry Potter: A Saga Rewritten
by Potterfan3002
Summary: AU.  Severitus Challenge!  Harry Potter was your average, ten year old orphan living with a relative who was less than kind.  Then his best friend reveals something important and Harry's whole world changes.  Joanne's finished, so now it's our turn!
1. And So it Begins

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. J K Rowling owns him and all the other characters in this little world we all know and love to manipulate. Nor do I own the Darcorn (that's Saerry's!). I do, however, own this plot and all original characters that can be seen in this story.

**Author's Note:** Hello, everyone who happens across this story! I've been around this site for a couple of years, reading the multitude of stories, and have tried to start a few of my own (I've switched screen names a couple of times since then and finally settled on something somewhat generic), but they didn't pan out so well. Now I have something new! I've decided to try my hand at Severitus' challenge, but I'll go about things more like what Saerry Snape did with her Not Myself series (which is the story that inspired me to write this one). There will be multiple large differences in my story from hers, but I hope that it is just as interesting (though the first four titles will be the same as the canon books). And now, without further ado, on with the story!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A Saga Rewritten: Philosopher's Stone**

**Chapter One: And So It Begins...**

"Good luck, Harry Potter."

Those four words seemed to echo down the quiet street of Privet Drive as an old man in purple robes and half moon spectacles strode to the end of the street, waved his hand to restore the streetlamps their light, and then disappeared with a small pop. A light breeze rustled the hedges all along Privet Drive as a small bundle on the doorstep of Number Four stirred, a tiny hand reaching out of the folds and grasping the edge of the letter tucked into the blankets he was wrapped in. Harry Potter slept on, not knowing that in the morning he would be awoken by the scream of his aunt, Petunia Dursley, as she was setting out old milk bottles and collecting the morning paper. Nor did he know that, for the next two weeks, he would be poked and pinched by his cousin Dudley. . . . And he couldn't know that, at that very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter — the boy who lived!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Almost nine years have passed since that fateful November morning, when the Dursleys had awoken to find their nephew on their doorstep, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. Their same houses and their same gardens remained as spotless as ever, and even their cars all remained the same make and model. Children had aged and others were born, though very few young families lived on Privet Drive. At Number Four, pictures of a baby boy had changed over the years and now the pictures of that same boy looked like a somewhat slimmer version of his father, who was like a walrus in his size. The walls, side tables, and the mantle above the fireplace were covered with pictures of this blonde boy and never gave away the fact that there was another boy living in the house. Namely, one Harry James Potter.

Harry Potter had not lived happily with his relatives, as one might expect. From the time he was four he was forced to do all the cooking and cleaning around the house by his uncle, Vernon Dursley. He was often relieved of doing a lot of his assigned duties by his aunt and cousin when his uncle wasn't around, which Harry appreciated immensely. Unfortunately, his uncle was a very intimidating man and Harry was forced to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs and had to wear his cousin's cast-offs, which wasn't really all _that_ bad, considering that his cousin had managed to keep a somewhat fit physique and Harry wasn't too skinny (even though his uncle kept trying to starve him, but his aunt always gave him some leftovers after Vernon went to bed).

And so it was on Monday, the twenty-third of September in nineteen ninety-one, that Harry was awoken by the soft knocking of Aunt Petunia as she called him. "It's time to wake up, Harry. You're uncle will be down soon, so hurry up."

The young boy smiled slightly as he quickly pulled on his slightly oversized clothes, pulled on his trainers, and exited the cupboard. Harry stretched a bit before walking into the kitchen and taking up Aunt Petunia's place at the stove just in time to hear Uncle Vernon and Dudley making their way downstairs. Harry quickly dished out three portions of bacon, eggs, toast, and sausages before setting them down in front of the recently seated Dursley Patriarch, who had the largest serving, and his aunt and cousin.

"Hurry up, boy, and pour my coffee. And don't forget the cream this time, or else I'll have to teach you another lesson in following orders," Uncle Vernon growled out as Harry, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley all winced a bit. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Uncle Vernon." Harry meekly went over to the counter and fixed up his uncle's coffee as he waited for his toast to heat up.

"Hurry up, boy. I don't have all day to wait for you to get me my coffee," Uncle Vernon barked out, a vein on his forehead twitching, causing Harry to spill a little bit of the coffee onto the counter. "You'll clean that up, boy, or you'll not be having supper tonight," Uncle Vernon snarled, his face turning slightly red with anger.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon," came Harry's timid reply as he placed the cup of coffee in front of his uncle and went about cleaning up the coffee on the counter.

Fifteen minutes, and a few more insults to Harry, later Harry and Dudley were walking down to meet the school bus with their backpacks slung over their shoulders. They had just gotten to the bus stop when Harry was nearly toppled to the ground and his vision was blocked by a mass of bushy brown hair. Hermione Granger gave her best friend one last squeeze before pulling back and smiling up at him.

"Oh my goodness, Harry, you won't believe what happened to me over the weekend!" She cried as she bounced up and down on the spot, her face glowing with excitement.

"Whoa there, Mione," Harry said, placing his hands on her shoulders to keep her still. "What's happened to you that seems to have gotten you so excited?"

"Well, since Dudley would find out anyway," she said as she reached into her backpack and pulled out an envelope. "I got this letter on my birthday, but of course I didn't believe it at first. I mean, how logical would that be?" She continued her rant as Harry pulled out the letter and read the shiny emerald ink that adorned it.

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL**__ of __**WITCHCRAFT**__ and __**WIZARDRY**_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, _

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards)_

_Dear Ms. Granger,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall,_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Harry looked up to find both Hermione and his cousin looking at him. "That's all fine and everything," Harry said skeptically, "But what does that have to do with me?"

"Oh, Harry, didn't you hear me?" Hermione asked as she removed a large, leather-bound book from her bag. She opened it and leafed through the pages until she came to a spot almost at the end of the book, then she gave the book to Harry and pointed at the page. "Here, read this passage, Harry. It will help to convince you."

Harry looked over at his cousin skeptically, and then both he and Dudley looked down at the page and began reading whatever it was that Hermione thought was so important.

_**The Fall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named**_

_There was never a more terrifying time than the war with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Purported to be the most powerful Dark Wizard since Salazar Slytherin himself, You-Know-Who and his loyal Death Eaters spread terror and death throughout Magical Britain for numerous years. Towards the end of the war, You-Know-Who had giants, werewolves, vampires, and many other dark creatures in his army and the Aurors were at their limits. Many times You-Know-who was thwarted by the only wizard he ever feared: Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But it was not Albus Dumbledore who brought on the defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named; it was a baby by the name of Harry Potter. On that fateful Halloween night in nineteen eighty-one, You-Know-Who besieged the Potters' home in Godric's Hollow; James and Lily Potter were both killed trying to fend him off, and then He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named turned his wand on the infant as he cast the Killing Curse. However, for reasons unknown, the curse rebounded from its intended target and struck You-Know-Who, killing him instead. And so Harry Potter, after suffering great tragedy, became the only know survivor of the Killing Curse and was granted the title "The Boy-Who-Lived."_

Both Harry and Dudley looked up from the book at Hermione; Dudley with a gob smacked expression on his face, and Harry with a slightly pale and shocked expression on his. Harry slowly closed the book, giving it one last look, and then handing it to Hermione as he leaned against the nearby street sign. His cousin and best friend exchanged a worried gaze and Hermione slowly approached her pale friend.

"Harry, I'm sorry that I showed you that," she said softly, looking at the ground in shame and shuffling her feet. "I know that it must be saddening and I shouldn't have —"

"No, don't be sorry," Harry said looking up at his friend as he stood up straight. "I'm glad that you showed that to me. Now I know how my parents really died. . . ." he trailed off, his face scrunching up in thought.

"What is it, Harry?" Dudley asked, moving to stand beside Hermione.

"Well, if that book's true, then does that make me a wizard?" he asked, his eyes looking hopefully to Hermione for confirmation.

"Of course it does!" Hermione said, nodding her head vigorously. "Honestly, did you think that you wouldn't be one? I mean, considering who your parents are and what that book says, I'd be very shocked if you weren't."

At that point, the bus arrived and the three scrambled on board, taking seats towards the back so that they could converse in some semblance of privacy. Hermione told her two friends all about what she had learned of the wizarding world over the two days she was getting her supplies for the next year. She told them that she'd be going the next year because her birthday was only a couple weeks after term had started and that she would be memorizing her textbooks until September 1 (which caused both boys to smile and roll their eyes, which then caused them to get cuffed on the head by a huffy girl). They discussed how Harry would approach his aunt, which prompted Dudley to confess that he'd had a couple of bursts of accidental magic, the same as Harry, which happened while he was alone in his room a few times (and one of the times that Harry got blamed for in front of Uncle Vernon).

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Later that afternoon, a few hours before Vernon Dursley was due home from work, Hermione came over to Privet Drive from her home on Wisteria Way and the two ten-year-olds and one eleven-year-old went inside Number Four to speak with Petunia Dursley. They went to the kitchen where Petunia was working on dinner and stood just inside the doorway as Harry spoke.

"Aunt Petunia, we need to talk with you," Harry said as he shuffled from one foot to the other in anxiousness.

"What do you need to talk to me about?" she asked as she set the pan to simmer and turned to face the children, frowning slightly as she noticed that they were a bit anxious.

"Well," Hermione began, "A few days ago I received a letter from a private school up in Scotland and from what we figure, Harry and Dudley will be going as well." Petunia raised a questioning eyebrow and Hermione handed over her letter to the older woman, who looked the letter over for a few moments before sighing.

"I thought that this would happen, though I am surprised that you got a letter, Hermione," Petunia said as Hermione's cheeks tinged pink when she was addressed. "I was saving something for you, Harry, from your mother. I was instructed to give it to you once you got your Hogwarts letter, though I think that I can make an exception to give it to you now," she said as she turned to Harry.

"You have something from my mum?" he asked, to which his aunt nodded. "Can I get it now, Aunt Petunia?"

"Yes, I think that would be prudent. Give me a few moments to get it," she replied as she handed Hermione's letter back to the eleven-year-old and left the kitchen to go and find the small box. After about a minute, Petunia came back into the kitchen with a shoebox and handed it to Harry. "You may open that whenever you feel up to it, Harry. Now," she said as she laced her fingers together. "Since, apparently, my son will also be attending Hogwarts, I think that we should set a day when we can all go out and get your school things using Hermione's list. I think it would do well for both of you to go over whatever you need to before you get to Hogwarts."

The three children nodded and they hurried out the back door so that Petunia could continue with dinner preparations. Harry, Hermione, and Dudley walked over to the shed and sat down in its shade as Harry sat there staring at the shoebox with a look of both happiness and sadness. After a few moments of silence, Harry pulled open the lid and saw multiple different papers towards the bottom with a thin box on top, with a vial of green liquid next to that and a smaller, square box. Covering all of that were two letters, both addressed to _'Harry James Potter'_ in green ink. Harry slowly pulled out the first letter and opened it to find that the writing inside looked similar to Hermione's own handwriting.

_My Dearest Harry,_

_If you are reading this letter, then I am afraid that James and I are dead. It also indicates that you were not sent to your godfather, Sirius Black, as was instructed in our will. I do not know what became of him, if he has not raised you, but it may have something to do with our deaths. Oh my darling boy, how I wish that I could be there and hold you, help you through whatever hardships will plague you, and comfort you whenever you are sad. But I will not, so I must help you through some of the things that have already happened in your short life so far. I'm sure there are several, and James' letter may cover those, but there is one that I must address myself for anything to make sense in his letter._

_Harry, James Potter is not your biological father. We know this, because we found that James can not have any children of his own. He hasn't told his friends, though he really should, and they will believe James your true father thanks to the charms that he and I placed on you as a baby. The green vial is a potion that will cancel out the charms that make you look like James, and you will resemble your real father. It was a chance meeting at a pub in London, but I couldn't have been happier that you came of that night. _

_I want you to contact him as soon as you can, after you get your own owl of course, and send him a letter explaining things with the other letter from my envelope, because he doesn't know. His name is Severus Snape, and he should be the Potions Professor at Hogwarts. As I cared deeply for James, I loved your father very much, but there were things that prevented me from marrying him instead._

_Harry, never doubt that James loved you as his own son and that I loved you more than words can describe. I'll leave you to read James' letter and the other things in the box. I'll always love and watch over you Harry, remember that._

_With all my love,_

_Lily_

By the time Harry was finished, tears were freely running down his face as he stared down at the paper in shock. James Potter wasn't his real father? He looked over at his best friend and cousin, giving them a look of sadness before handing the letter to Hermione and pulling out the letter from James. It was written in the same green ink that his mother's letter was, and the writing was almost as neat, but distinctly masculine.

_Harry,_

_If you've read your mother's letter first, then you know the truth. If not, then you should do so immediately. Anyway, know that I did love you, and nothing could change that. Now, on to the non-depressing stuff that we put into the box. Aside from the vial there are two boxes (which I'll explain about later), your real birth certificate, deeds to several properties that you now own, and a list that will be explained later on. The deeds are to Potter Manor, the house in Godric's Hollow where we will be going into hiding soon, a villa in the Mediterranean, and Number Four Privet Drive in Surry. The boxes are probably the most important things there. The larger of the two boxes holds a wand that we had crafted specifically for you, Harry. The wood is holly, while the core consists of three things: a tail feather from Albus Dumbledore's phoenix, a drop of your blood, and the hair of a Darcorn (which your mother was able to get, I don't know how). _

_This wand is special, not only because of the two cores, but because it can become a staff when you are ready for that power. The smaller box contains the Potter family ring, mine and your mother's wedding bands, your mother's engagement ring, and two different necklaces. I put the Potter ring in there because I made you my heir, and with it you become the last living descendant of Godric Gryffindor. The necklaces are for you and someone of your choosing, so that you both may be protected from minor curses and lessen the effect of some others. Put the wedding bands and engagement ring in the Potter vault. If the Goblins give you any trouble, give them the other parchment inside this envelope and you will be given full access to all of the vaults from my family. The list is of things that happened to us shortly before we went into hiding and of things that I had transferred to the Gryffindor vault for safekeeping._

_Take care, Harry, for there are many who would give or do anything for the wealth you now possess. Know that I love you as my own, and I'll be watching over you with your mother for as long as you live._

_Your dashing step-father,_

_James Potter_

Harry was stunned by James' letter, but didn't have too much time to dwell on it as Hermione had tackled him as she cried for him, having just finished Lily's letter. Harry gently pat her back as her tears drenched his shirt and she clung to him to let him know that she cared. Dudley was also a bit watery-eyed, but he managed to keep his tears to himself as he gave his cousin a sad and caring look. After a couple of minutes, Hermione's sobs subsided and she pulled back from Harry, smiling a bit shyly up at him.

"Err, sorry about your shirt, Harry. . . ." she said, her cheeks flushing slightly as she looked down at his thoroughly soaked shirt.

"It's alright, Mione," Harry said as he gave her a sad smile, then he turned to his cousin and gave a mischievous smile. "Oh, Dudley, apparently I own Number Four. James' letter said the deed was in the box. Uncle Vernon will have to make a few changes around the house if he wants to stay in it." Dudley paled slightly and Harry realized his mistake. "Err, I didn't mean that you and Aunt Petunia couldn't stay, just Uncle Vernon," he amended quickly, trying to sooth his cousin's fears.

"Oh, well I guess that's alright. . . ." Dudley said, the paleness leaving his face as he smiled warily at his cousin. "So, what do we do now?"

"We go to Gringotts to settle everything that we need to there before we but all the things you need," Hermione said as she finished reading James' letter with a far away look in her eyes.

"Hermione," Harry said, "Are you alright?"

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine Harry. It's just that this wand your da— err, James described is so incredible! Darcorns are supposed to be these really dark creatures, the opposites of Unicorns, but from what James said your mother was able to get one with no difficulty. Do you suppose she was really talented with defensive magic? Or do you think that everyone's wrong about the Darcorns?"

Harry shrugged, "I haven't the foggiest, Mione, but whichever it was I'm glad I have some of its hair in my wand."

After that, they put everything back into the shoebox and Hermione went home. Harry and Dudley went inside and talked to Petunia for a while, planning the trip to London for the next day as Harry moved into his usual position at the stove just as Vernon walked in the door, insulting Harry and demanding that the _'freak'_ get his food on the table before he got what was coming to him.

'_I don't know about me, but you'll be getting whatever's coming to you soon, Uncle Vernon,'_ Harry thought as he dished out the pot roast that Petunia had cooked that afternoon.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Author's Note:** Well, that's the end of chapter one! I hope you all enjoyed what I've written so far and decide to review. I'm hoping for reviews from Severitus and Saerry, but I won't count on it so soon. Click the little purple button and review!

Yours truly,

_Jean-Luc_


	2. Diagon Alley and a Gringotts Surprise

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. J K Rowling owns him and all the other characters in this little world we all know and love to manipulate. Nor do I own the Darcorn (that's Saerry's!). I do, however, own this plot and most original characters that can be seen in this story.

--

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

--

**A Saga Rewritten: Philosopher's Stone**

**Chapter Two: Diagon Alley and a Gringotts Surprise!**

The next morning Harry was awoken by his aunt at around six thirty A.M. As the ten-year-old sleepily stumbled out of his 'room,' Dudley came down the stairs in much the same manner. Both of the children walked into the kitchen and took up their usual positions: Dudley taking a seat at the table and Harry moving to stand by the counter so he could replace Petunia once Vernon came downstairs, which would be soon. Petunia clucked her tongue and shooed a slightly confused Harry to sit next to an equally confused Dudley just as Vernon walked into the kitchen. His face became purplish in color as he looked between his wife and his nephew, who was now sitting next to Dudley.

"What is the meaning of this? Boy, go and cook our breakfast, _now!_" Vernon growled, a vein in his forehead throbbing as he trembled with rage. Harry didn't move, and Vernon got angrier. "_NOW YOU FREAK!_" He roared, as he began to move in Harry's direction.

"No, Vernon."

"What?" Vernon said as he stopped and turned to his wife, who was standing at the counter with her arms crossed and a stern look on her face.

"You heard me, Vernon. Harry will not be cooking breakfast. He has not in the past and he will not in the future," Petunia said, glaring at Vernon with a look that, if looks could kill, would have killed the man many times over.

"What do you —" Vernon cut himself off as he rounded on his nephew. "_POTTER, YOU WILL UNDO WHATEVER — FREAKISHNESS — YOU HAVE DONE TO MY WIFE OR YOU'LL GET WHAT'S COMING TO YOU!_" he roared as he backhanded Harry, causing the small boy to fall out of his chair and clutch his face in shock and pain.

"_Harry!_" Dudley cried as Vernon was suddenly blasted backwards through the open doorway and into the backyard. Dudley lowered his hands and stoically stood in the doorway, trembling only slightly as he faced down his father. "Mum's not under any magic!" Vernon cringed visibly at the word 'magic.' "And I'm a wizard too, same as Harry!"

Vernon Dursley paled as he heard his son speak. Getting to his feet, he tried to go back into the house, only to be repelled by his son each time he tried. After about ten minutes of this, Vernon grew tired and decided to just get something on the way to work, so he walked around the house to his car and left, cursing the 'freaks and their freakishness' as he drove away. Dudley sighed as he went back into the kitchen, sitting down at the table as his mother fused over Harry's slightly bruising cheek and sprained wrist from when he fell. As Petunia brought out a first aid kit, Dudley suddenly remembered about the deeds.

"Harry," he said, "You remember how you said that you owned the house?" Harry nodded, a bit confused about what his cousin was getting at, and Dudley continued. "Well, how about we move you out of the, err, cupboard under the stairs and into that third bedroom?"

"I'd say that, that's a brilliant idea!" Harry exclaimed, a grin spreading across his face. "Could I really do that, Aunt Petunia?"

"Well, it _is_ your house, so I'd say that it's the least that can be done after all those years of Vernon having you sleep in that cupboard," she said, a slight smile gracing her face for a second before being replaced by a frown. "You should never have had to sleep there in the first place. I'm terribly sorry that I didn't get the courage to say any differently. . . ."

"S'okay, Aunt Petunia, I forgive you," Harry stated, giving his aunt a quick hug. "What're we going to do about Uncle Vernon?"

"Don't you worry about that, Harry, I have an old acquaintance that may be able to help me out with my mistake," Petunia stated, and then she turned to Dudley. "I have to admit; at least something wonderful came of it. I'm proud of you for standing up to your father like that, sweetheart. I'll call you in sick to your school after breakfast." Dudley blushed at the praise from his mother and the three of them finished up breakfast.

An hour later, Harry was sitting in his new room as he once again opened the box from his mother. He removed the letter to a 'Griphook' that he had to take to Gringotts, which Hermione had told him was the Wizarding Bank, and the stack of legal documents that were to be placed into one of his vaults. He lifted the vial of green liquid, which his mother's letter had said would remove the enchantments placed upon his appearance, thinking hard about whether or not to drink it. After five minutes of quiet contemplation, he uncorked it and tossed the potion, which tasted like apples, down his throat. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, starting at the top of his head, Harry's body began to tingle as a wave of warmth surged throughout his body and he felt his bones shifting as he grew a few inches taller, and his facial features changed to what they were supposed to be.

When the tingling, shifting, and warmth faded, Harry got up from his new bed, removing his glasses, that he miraculously didn't need any more, and walked over to the dresser where he looked into the mirror hanging above it. He was, indeed, a few inches taller; his cheekbones had become a bit more prominent and his nose became slender while his eyes had a more almond shape, and his face had become narrower; his hair had also flattened down and no longer had that perpetual windswept appearance. Harry smiled at the person looking back through the mirror, a person he now knew to be the real Harry. He spent the next couple of hours thoroughly checking over the 'real Harry' as he waited for Hermione and her mother to arrive.

--

At ten o'clock the doorbell rang, and Harry rushed downstairs with the papers he needed in a folder, which he then tucked into his temporarily emptied backpack. As he stopped on the bottom stair, he was tackled by Hermione as she hugged him tightly as she silently cried on his shoulder. He looked confusedly at his aunt, who had a slightly guilty look on her face, and Hermione's mother, who had a sad and also slightly guilty look on her face.

"Mum told me about what happened earlier," she said, pulling back and whipping away her tears as comprehension dawned on Harry's face. "I'm so sorry that you had to put up with that man and — Harry, what happened to you?" The other occupants of the room now noticed Harry's change in appearance, and Petunia gasped as the others looked at her.

"What is it, Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked, a confused look retaking his face.

"Y—you look a little like Lily's friend from school!" she said, surprise very clearly lining her words. "I think his name was —"

"Severus Snape," Harry finished her sentence and smiled. "I'm sorry, Aunt Petunia, I guess we forgot to mention the most important part of my mum's letter. It said that James Potter wasn't my real father, because he was apparently unable to have kids. I don't want to think too much more about it, because the thought of my mum and dad making me is gross," Hermione giggled and the two adults smiled slightly at the declaration. "I took the potion that would get rid of whatever made me look like James a couple hours ago and I discovered that I don't need glasses anymore!" Hermione and Dudley nodded their approval of the lack of glasses; while Petunia and Evelyn Granger, Hermione's mother, decided that they should go.

"Come along, kids," Evelyn said, "We should get into the car and head to London so Petunia has time to do what she needs to."

The three children all nodded and they made their way outside to the Granger car, the children in the back while Evelyn and Petunia got into the driver's and passenger's seats respectively. During the half hour trip to London, Hermione told the other two all that they would see in Diagon Alley, the London Shopping Center for all Wizarding Britain. Evelyn parked at a shopping mall and the five of them all walked the two blocks to a shabby looking pub with a sign that read _'The Leaky Cauldron.'_ At least, that's what the three children saw; the two adults saw nothing but an empty alleyway. Dudley and Hermione grabbed their mothers' hands as Harry led the group through the door and into the shabby pub. They quickly made their way through to the back alley of the pub, where Hermione pulled out her wand and tapped a brick above the trash can against the back wall. Harry and Dudley stood gob smacked as the archway to Diagon Alley opened up to reveal a large, busy strip of shops and other buildings with a large, white building towards the far end.

Petunia, Evelyn, and Hermione quickly shuffled the two boys through the archway and down the street towards their first stop of the day: Gringotts Bank. As they started up the marble steps of the bank, Harry felt a strange tingling sensation throughout his entire body. He glanced to the others around him and noticed that Hermione was the only other one who shivered slightly; and while this confused him immensely, he didn't think on it much as they passed through the first doors (which, Harry noted, were made from bronze) and came up on a second, silver, set of doors with some words carved onto their surface.

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed,_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

Harry looked over at his cousin, who swallowed nervously, before the five made their way through the silver doors and into the lobby of the bank. There were about a hundred goblins all sitting on high chairs behind the tall desks that held brass scales and other such instruments. Petunia took the lead as they made their way down the isle between the desks, a goblin stopping every so often to look upon the group with curiosity before going back to their tasks. Petunia finally stopped at a desk about three-quarters of the way down the lobby behind a man with patchy looking robes and light brown hair, who seemed to be just standing there, looking down towards his shoes and lost in his thoughts. Petunia tapped the man on the shoulder, to tell him to either move out of line for the other people or to do his business, and gasped as he turned around.

"R—Remus, is that you?" The man's blue eyes widened for a brief moment, before a small smile lit up his face and he pulled Petunia into a light hug.

"Petunia, it's been years since I've seen you," he said as they pulled apart, but was stopped by a young voice.

"Aunt Petunia, who is he?" As Remus stiffened at the voice, he turned towards Harry and looked the ten-year-old in the eyes for a moment. "Have I met you before, sir? You seem familiar. . . ."

"Harry," Petunia said softly, "This is Remus Lupin, an old friend of your mother and James."

"Hello, Harry," Remus said, kneeling down to the ten-year-old's level. "I haven't seen you since you were just a year old. How have you been?" Remus took in Harry's appearance: he was around five feet tall, with his black hair a little long and very straight (which made Remus a bit confused, since Harry's hair had been just like James' at a year old), and his face looked like a perfect combination of Lily and. . . . Remus' eyes widened slightly as he realized who Harry looked like, but he otherwise kept his surprise hidden; he would find out exactly what was going on later.

"I've been fine, sir," the thin ten-year-old replied, noticing his aunt moving forward to the counter and talking quietly with the goblin there. "I've actually just found out some things that you might be interested in, recently, so maybe we can talk some more later, Mr. Lupin."

"I'd like that very much, Harry," the older man said, smiling at the child in front of him. "And please, call me Remus, or Moony, if you prefer."

"Sure thing, Moony," Harry said, grinning at his mother's friend. Their conversation was cut off as Petunia came back over with a somewhat older goblin at her side.

"Harry, this is Griphook," Petunia said, motioning to the goblin at her side, "We need to follow him to a private office to finish what we came here for." Harry nodded as she turned to Remus and added, "We'll let you know later when you can come over and catch up with Harry."

Remus smiled at Petunia, who smiled back and they went their separate ways. Griphook took the three children and two women down a side corridor and past many different doors before he turned and opened a set of oak doors on the right and motioned the others inside. They all took seats in the chairs around the desk as Griphook moved to the chair behind the desk and gazed at each person in turn, before his gaze came to rest on Harry.

"So," the goblin began, "I take it you have received the box your mother and stepfather left you, young Harry?" At Harry's nod, Griphook held out his hand, "Then if you would kindly hand over the papers that are to be left here at Gringotts, we could sort through things and get down to business."

Harry removed the folder, though it was really more of a binder, from his backpack and handed it over to the goblin. Griphook removed several sheaves of parchment and began to eye them with the practiced gaze only an accountant of many years possessed, a frown appearing on his face and growing deeper with each line that was read. After the old goblin had checked and rechecked all the numbers, he let out a burst of gobbledygook, which the assembled humans could only interpret as a curse, and pressed a finger to one of the runes on his desk. Another, slightly younger looking, goblin entered from a side door and Griphook spoke some clearly angered, and none too polite, gobbledygook to the other goblin, who then took off back the way he had come much faster than he had arrived.

"Um, is everything alright, Mr. Griphook?" Harry asked, a little intimidated by the exchange that just went on.

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Potter," Griphook said with a tone that made it seem as if he was having trouble calming down. "It seems that, after your parents met their untimely end in Godric's Hollow, Albus Dumbledore saw fit to have my old assistant give him the keys to the Potter Vaults. I have noted, on the self-updating account statements that were in the folder you gave me, that he has withdrawn a large amount of your inheritance over the last nine years. Not only that, but he placed you in the care of your Aunt and her husband against their instructions left James and Lily's Will," he turned to Aunt Petunia and gave her a sheepish smile (or at least, the goblin equivalent), "No offense, Petunia."

"None taken, Griphook. I knew they would never leave him with me because of Vernon. And he is another reason that I came to you, but that can be taken care of later," Petunia said, a small smile on her face. Griphook nodded at her and then turned back to Harry.

"Now then," he said, clasping his hands on the desk, "We will be able to extract the amount that was taken from the Dumbledore vault, with interest. Taking this into consideration, I am also willing to destroy any and all enchantments that may have been placed upon you and possibly young Mr. Dursley as well. It would take a few hours for the effects to totally dissipate, given Albus Dumbledore's amount of power. Would this be satisfactory?"

"Yes, sir," Harry and Dudley said, nodding their heads vigorously at the goblin, causing everyone else to chuckle at the ten-year-olds' enthusiasm.

Griphook pressed a different rune on his desk, and after another short conversation in gobbledygook, a couple of goblin Disenchanters entered the room and waved a series of stones in front of both boys for several minutes. They then had Harry and Dudley each hold a red stone while the Disenchanters waved their hands over the stones and chanted in gobbledygook. It was fifteen minutes, and two exhausted goblins, before the stones glowed a pitch black and then reverted back to their red color; after a couple of minutes the goblin working on Dudley had moved to help his fellow on Harry. The Disenchanters spoke with Griphook for a couple of minutes before leaving the room. The old goblin stared down at his desk for a moment, a furious look passing over his face, and then he looked at the humans assembled in his office.

"Just how bad was it, Griphook?" Petunia asked, not really looking forward to the answer, but needing to know.

"Well," Griphook sighed, "Harry had a block on most of his magic, a block on his animagus ability, a slight befuddlement charm on his mind, and numerous other charms designed to make him more compliant to a single person, who we may guess was to be Dumbledore," both women gasped, as all three children had gone pale. "Dudley had a charm that was to totally suppress his magic to the level of the average Muggle, a severe befuddlement charm on his mind, and several charms to make him more loyal to his father," at this point, Griphook chuckled, "And it's a good thing Dumbledore never visited your home, because the only charm that remained, and barely so, was the befuddlement charm, which had deteriorated to slightly less than Harry's. So I think that anything cast upon you, Petunia, is long gone. It is obvious that he spent more time with Harry's blocks than he did with the others."

"Oh, my," was all Petunia managed to say as she looked to her son and nephew. At this point, the younger goblin from earlier returned with a small tray and a dagger, placing them upon the desk before saying something in low tones to Griphook and leaving. "Griphook," Petunia began, regaining a bit of composure, "What are those for?"

"These are to be used to regain the missing keys from Harry's vaults," he said as he turned to Harry. "If you would just prick your finger with this dagger, and let a couple of drops of blood drop onto the tray, all your keys will disappear from where they are currently and reappear here."

"Alright," Harry said as he looked to Aunt Petunia, who nodded, and then picked up the dagger. For a moment, he hesitated, and then he pushed his right index finger onto the point and drew it across his skin to draw some blood. He brought his finger over the tray and squeezed the sides, making a few drops of blood fall from his finger to the smooth metal of the tray. There was a flash of light before five keys materialized: three were a standard looking key, while one was gold with a ruby at the base and the last one was silver with an emerald at the base. Griphook frowned confusedly as Harry asked, "What's wrong, Mr. Griphook?"

"There's an extra key here. . . ." the goblin said, looking up at the humans. "These three," he said, motioning to the normal looking keys, "Are for the Potter Family vault, your mother and step-father's personal vault, and the trust vault for your schooling. The gold key is to the vault once owned by Godric Gryffindor himself, back when the four Founders of Hogwarts first helped create the corridors beneath us." Griphook paused, a thoughtful look on his face as he studied the last key. "If I am correct, then this last key is to the vault of Salazar Slytherin. . . ."

To say that the three preteens and two adults were shocked would be an understatement. Hermione and Petunia looked ready to faint, and the other three had gob smacked and confused looks on their faces. Griphook took all five keys and handed them to Petunia.

"I shall trust these keys to your aunt for now, Mr. Potter, until you come of age. Now, let us see what other surprises your friends have in store for us. . . ."

--

An hour later, the group left Gringotts in a daze. They had opened a vault for Dudley and Hermione, discovering that Hermione was the last blood heir of Rowena Ravenclaw. She had almost fainted when she heard that. Evelyn took the children down to their vaults while Petunia and Griphook took care of other matters: namely, her divorce of one Vernon Dursley and giving her custody of her son. Down at the vaults, Harry, Hermione, Dudley, and Evelyn were shocked as they saw the sheer amount of gold in the different vaults Harry owned. When they got to the Ravenclaw vault, Hermione actually fainted when the door opened to reveal a huge room, not unlike a library, with small mountains of gold towards the back. When they got back up to the lobby, each child carrying a large pouch of gold, Petunia informed them of the divorce and told them that the paperwork would be properly filed in the muggle world within a couple hours.

"So, what now?" Harry asked, only to be answered by his rumbling stomach and the laughter of his friends and family.

"I'd say that you've got your answer," Hermione said when her giggles died down. "How about we go and get something to eat in the Leaky Cauldron and then get our shopping done?"

Everyone agreed and they made their way back up the alley to the pub, the three children talking animatedly as the two adults followed along with smiles on their faces. Petunia looked back at the shops as she passed through the archway to the pub, her eyes drifting all around before she looked at the sky and her smile shrank slightly in sadness.

_Oh, Lily,_ she thought with a sigh, _You'd be so proud of the man he'll become. I hope you're watching over him from wherever you and James are, and get to watch him grow up to become that man._ With that, she turned and strode into the Leaky Cauldron after her son, nephew, and their friends.

--

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

--

**Author's Note: Holy freaking hell! It's been almost a year since I've posted anything, especially for this story. . . . And yes, I know I'm making Harry a bit overpowered, but seriously, how could he not be with the way the prophecy is worded and all. He's supposed to be Ol' Tommy-boy's equal, as well as having a power that he doesn't have, so it would stand to reason that he has a lot of power. Anyway, I'm working on Chapter three, which will have the rest of their trip to Diagon Alley and hopefully a small scene with Harry's dear old dad, Severus. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to review!**


End file.
